“Right now? Let’s not get crazy,” Levi said, shaking his head at her. “We need to case the joint, check their mooks’ stats, hell, I don’t even know where it is, yet. The day is for research. The night is for attacking.”
Fira’s lip lifted, but she said nothing. She looked away. “Fine.”
“Fine? Fine, nothing. That’s just how things work. I couldn’t attack it if I wanted to.” Levi tutted at her and walked on, heading out into the city.
“Where are you going now?” Fira asked.
“Back to Maury’s place. Gotta do some research on that criminal conglomerate and that douchebag Blasterman, totally unrelated but nonetheless necessary. You’re free to join, or you can wander the city meaninglessly and hope to randomly encounter someone from a criminal group that you don’t even know the name of,” Levi said, shrugging.
“I…I’m going to walk around. I need to see the city. Get used to the shape of it.”
Levi nodded. He walked away, waving behind him. “See you at Maury’s tonight, right around sunset.” After all, if you’re going to do a stealth mission, it has to be after dark. Has to be. Who am I to counter centuries of tradition?
I wonder if I have an all-black outfit hidden somewhere in Maury’s house? Hmm, maybe in the forest…if I have time, I’ll check around. But fashion comes after strategy.
Heading across town, he came upon the suburbs before long. A familiar rundown house greeted him, no more ruined than the last time. With a quick glance around, he took the slide entrance, landing directly in Maury’s lab.
As expected, the space stood empty, no sign of Maury. Fresh red stains marred the metal table in the center, and bits of blood and flesh still stuck to the grinder. In the center of the table, a syringe awaited, full of the usual red-and-gold liquid. A note sat atop it, in big bold sharpie. Skill points. Don’t kill clients, damn you.
Levi hummed to himself, snatching up the syringe. Crossing the room, he sat on the bed and plugged his phone in. That done and everything in order, he checked the door, making sure he was alone, then pinched his stomach. “Here goes…”
The usual uncomfortable sensation sunk into him. Levi laid back on the bed, breathing slowly. He lifted his phone over his head, pulling up a satellite map. Reaching up, he pulled the briefcase closer and snagged a few papers out of them—other pictures from the bar, ones that didn’t feature Fira’s brother. Pictures of buildings, shipping containers, and dark back alley shops. One after another, he found them, using them to distract from the pain. A jolt burst through his body, and he rolled onto his side and curled up into the fetal position. His hand clenched the phone hard, knuckles whitening. Still, he scrolled on, immersing his whole self in the search, occasionally checking the pictures before he turned back to the map.
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At last, the pain subsided. As it left, a message appeared.
Gained 8 skill points.
Level: N/A
ATK: 8
DEF: 1
PWR: 0
PDEF: 0
SPD: 12 > 20
EXP: 0 | To next level: 0
AP: 0 | To next AP: 0
He nodded. “It’s a stealth mission, after all. What I need most of all is speed, to move quickly and quietly.”
Sitting up, he set his phone beside him. On the map, a nest of pins clustered alongside the city’s dock, hugging up against the place where Central City’s waterfront touched Old Town. The forest spread not far in the distance, snaking its way close to the sea, though it never touched, not the sea, nor the pinned section. A massive silver tower blocked its progress—or so it appeared. The tower had been built long after the forest, climbing out of the space where Alpha had fought his final battle against TerraForm, devastating the blocks around them in the process.
Levi hesitated, then turned back to his phone. He put a final pin on the tower. “Skyscrapers always follow organized crime. Wouldn’t bank on generalized trends, but it’s worth looking into.”
He flicked to the right, pulling up the news. Headlines blazed out at him. Ten Years Since Alpha’s Lockdown, A Retrospective: Will One Happen Again?
“No, don’t be stupid. Not until I piss him off again,” Levi muttered. He flicked down. Murders and celebrities, weather and a human interest piece. Snorting dismissively, he went to lower it, only to yank it back and click on the article about Rainer Drift. The usual celebrity drivel filled his page, alongside pictures of the brunette lady herself, beaming at the camera with a fake smile and a small wave.
He pursed his lips, then closed the tab. “Damn. No confirmation on her and Alpha yet. Probably won’t go public, then…if it’s happening. Guh. Guess that route’s a bad one.”
“When do I do it? I’ve kept this secret for so long…maybe there’s no such thing as a perfect moment. But to reveal it carelessly and throw away this ace in my pocket…”
All at once, he heaved himself to his feet. “Stop thinking, idiot. You only come up with bad ideas. Move, move, move. If I’m gonna sit still, might as well go back to Kella’s family and play normal again.”
As he crossed the room, a reflection of himself stared at him, caught in the gleaming chrome of Maury’s forever half-finished suit. He stopped, touching his chin, then laughed, a bitter sound. “Right. Would she even recognize me? This babyfaced child…”
He stared at the floor, then chuckled, as though he’d heard the sound of his own voice at last. “Alright, enough feeling sorry for myself. Pity party canceled. I know where the bad guys’ territory is, so let’s get a move on.”
Levi paused, then went back to the table. Picking up the note, he turned it over. Tell Fira to meet me here, he wrote, then put the address of one of the gang’s docks. With that, he headed back out, snatching up his phone as he went.